|
|
|
Chapter 3
1901 - 1914
Expansion and Prosperity
In April 1898, it was decided to change the base color of the funnels from black to yellow to avoid confusion with the funnels of an American company. As the Spanish-American War had just broken out, such resemblance might have proved a risk.
Late in the same year, with the new STATENDAM in service and with the Company's shares quoted at above par, the time was considered propitious for ordering three new large twin-screw ships of 12,500 tons, POTSDAM, RYNDAM and NOORDAM, the first from Blohm & Voss at Hamburg and the other two from Harland & Wolff. The POTSDAM'S boilers did not steam well and after a short time she was given a very tall funnel, which earned her, in certain quarters, the nickname "Funneldam".
RYNDAM I In 1899 it was decided to run a purely cargo service from Amsterdam to Newport News with chartered vessels. As this proved profitable three new 6,500 ton freights, AMSTELDYK, SLOTERDYK and SOESDYK, were ordered in 1901 specifically for this route. They were the first of the large fleet of up-to-date cargo liners - with names ending in 'dyk', which have since become so well known.
In the Spanish-American War of 1898 the lack of suitable merchant ships to support their Fleet had been keenly felt by the U.S. authorities. A policy of buying up shares in foreign shipping companies was begun and in February 1902 the title of International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM) was adopted for the combine which, by this time, embraced the Atlantic Transport, National, American, Red Star, Leyland, White Star and Dominion lines: a great fleet totalling one million tons gross. The shipbuilders Harland & Wolff were also included in the organization, and a working agreement was reached with the big German lines, the Hamburg-America and Norddeutscher-Lloyd. The Holland-America Line came unwillingly within the orbit of the IMM when Harland & Wolff acquired 51 per cent of its share capital in 1902. Later, half of this holding was sold to the IMM, a quarter to the Hamburg-America and a quarter to the Norddeutscher Lloyd, both of which were on good terms with the Holland-America Line.
In 1900 the rival Red Star Line of Antwerp put the 19,000 ton Vaderland into service, the first of a very successful series of four-masted, two-funnelled ships. In 1904 the Holland-America Line ordered a larger and improved version of this type but with one funnel only.
The 17,000 ton NIEUW AMSTERDAM named after the first settlementat New York, sailed on her maiden voyage in April 1906, subsequently becoming one of the best-known ships of the Line. At the time she was the largest ship under the Dutch flag. Her graceful lines belied her huge capacity of 417 first class, 391 second class, 2,300 third class passengers and over 14,000 tons of cargo. When loaded to nearly 35 feet draught she displaced 31,000 tons. Two quadruple-expansion engines developed 10,000 h.p., giving a service speed of 16 knots. Although she was not fast, her comfort, cuisine and service were of the standard of excellence for which the Line is renowned. She was also the last of the Company's ships to carry sails for emergency use, but these were never used.
NIEUW AMSTERDAM I
Meanwhile all the older ships had been disposed of: EDAM III (formerly ROTTERDAM II) in 1899, WERKENDAM in 1900, SPAARNDAM in 1901, MAASDAM in 1902 and lastly the AMSTERDAM in 1905.
MAASDAM II The immediate success of the NIEUW AMSTERDAM led to the ordering of a much larger ship, the fourth ROTTERDAM (24,000 tons). for many years the largest vessel in the Dutch Mercantile Marine and when built the seventh largest in the world. Her two pole masts, two funnels and long superstructure made her typical of the graceful liners of the Edwardian period. Completed in 1908 she was the first large Atlantic liner to be built with a glassed-in promenade deck, a feature that was applied to the NIEUW AMSTERDAM at the same time. Carrying 520 first-class, 555 second-class passengers and 2,500 emigrants, the ROTTERDAM was driven by two fine quadruple-expansion engines, each of over 7,000 h.p., giving her a speed of 17 knots. In 1909 the Netherlands Government awarded the Rotterdam-New York mail contract to the Holland-America Line and in the following year, a call at Plymouth was included in the schedule.
The ROTTERDAM, NIEUW AMSTERDAM, POTSDAM, RYNDAM, NOORDAM and STATENDAM being more than capable of maintaining the weekly Rotterdam- New York service, the STATENDAM was sold to become the Allan Line's SCOTIAN which, as the Canadian Pacific MARGLEN, was not finally scrapped until 1927. Before her sale at the end of 1910 the STATENDAM had sailed on the second Holland-America cruise, which included the Holy Land. The Company's first cruise was made to Copenhagen, by the SS ROTTERDAM (II) in June 1895. This ROTTERDAM was he first merchant ship to traverse the Kiel Canal. Other cruises by the NIEUW AMSTERDAM and ROTTERDAM followed.
ROTTERDAM IV The passenger services had thus been brought to a high state of efficiency and in the meantime the freight routes were also expanded. In 1906 the Rotterdam-Philadelphia service was begun, in which Boston was shortly included to tap the winter freight traffic to Canada. For some years a freight service between Rotterdam and Baltimore had been operated by the Neptune S. N. Co. Ltd., which had recently been taken over by Furness Withy & Co. In 1909 a contract was made with the latter whereby six freighters were transfered to the Holland-America Line, whose Rotterdam-Baltimore service was re-opened. These six freighters became ANDYK, GORREDYK, MAARTENSDYK, SOMMELSDYK (about 6,400 tons), ZAANDYK and ZYLDYK (both of 4,200 tons). In the same year a joint freight service to Canada was started in cooperation with the Hamburg-America Line, Norddeutscher Lloyd and Red Star Lines.
In 1911 another new line to Savannah was put into operation in conjunction with the Dutch company, Messrs. Hudig & Veder. Extra tonnage for these services was obtained by the purchase of the ZUIDERDYK, 5,200 tons, and orders for two new vessels, OOSTERDYK and WESTERDYK, fine four-masted ships of 8,250 tons, and the rather smaller NOORDERDYK (7,167 tons). The SOMMELSDYK, burnt out in 1910, was replaced by the purchase of a similar vessel which was given the same name. September 1912 saw further extensions of Holland-America operations with the opening of a line to Cuba, Mexico and the Gulf ports.
The pre-1914 decade was one of great expansion and prosperity for the Company, an average of 12 3/4 per cent interest being paid during the period. So much so that in 1911 the position justified the ordering of the 32,000 ton STATENDAM from Harland & Wolff. Such a ship would have placed the Holland-America Line amongst the few famous lines operating 'giants' of over 30,000 tons. The war intervened, however, and the great ship was destined to become a U-boat victim without ever flying the Dutch flag.
Next Chapter:
1914 - 1918
The First World War
(The above text is from H. M. Le Fleming's Ships of the Holland-America Line, John Marshbank Ltd. Publishers, 1963, 1965.)
Home | Table of Contents
Chapter 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
